Most Popular Posts

My favorite baby carrier

My sweets, hope you had a wonderful weekend! We're back in New York now, but already missing San Francisco (and shrimp tacos). Photos coming up!

Meanwhile, I'd love to do two Motherhood Monday posts today. First up, have you ever worn a baby carrier? The comfiest one I've found (by far) is the Ergo, $135, which is really easy to put on. It's great to walk around the city (and into stores) while wearing Toby; I wear him on the front, so we can chit-chat, and he's always more mellow than when he's in the stroller.

So I was psyched to see that the Ergo just got a makeover. I have the sea green color (which I like), but they're now offering it in beautiful fabrics, like this lovely one above. Wouldn't it add such a pretty touch to an outfit? I'm trying to rationalize buying one for the summer. :)

69 comments:

I looove my Ergo! And I just got a new Sakura sling, which I'm very excited to try out. Devon wasn't into them. She loved sitting in her stroller and looking around. But Blake's a snuggler, so it works. Welcome home, mama!

Ohh this one is so pretty! My friend also loves baby carriers!She says that its a perfect way to keep your baby close and also be able to do everything you need to do while running around the city: from shopping to paying bills:) Have a great Monday Joanna and so lovely to have you back. Glad you had fun in SF!

I have a sleep wrap that I love! I wear my little man on the plane when we travel and it frees up my hands to play with him while still keeping him secure (he's also more likely to snooze when he's so close to me). People come up to me at the airport all of the time and comment on it. He's almost getting to heavy for it though so I may have to check out the Ergo!

I'm not a mother but whenever I see parents using these I always feel iffy about them. The babies never seem to mind them but they always look like they're going to fall out! They freak me out tbh. I'll have to give it my own try one day.

I wish I had seen this a month ago when I ordered my boring one color Ergo! At least the navy one I got is neutral for my husband, too. I am a huge fan of baby-wearing. Our little one has been able to go everywhere with us, thanks to the carriers we have for her. I'm glad to see you post on this, Joanna! You are such an inspiration for a lot of women that read your blog, and I'd like to see baby-wearing become more of a norm. Keep talking about all your wonderful Mama-beliefs :)

Have you tried any of the other soft structured carriers? I think different SSCs suit different body types. I always found the Ergo too broad in the shoulders for me (but my husband likes it). I far prefer my Olives and Applesauce, which carries wonderful prints, and I just picked up a Boba, which has some great features.

I'm so glad you posted this...my kid HATES everything we've tried - the Moby wrap, any kind of sling, and the Bjorn. I figured she was just not a snuggly kind of kid, but maybe I'll give the Ergo a try...

I have a question for all of you moms. I'm the first of all of my friends to have a baby, so I don't really have anyone to ask the million and one questions I suddenly have on my mind. (I'm due in August) So...how many pounds can one of those carriers hold comfortably? I always assumed they were just for infants, but I think I remember Johanna saying Toby will be one soon.

I feel like I am the only mom who doesn't use a carrier! My son is SUPER long and heavy, and I'm small. It's never been all that comfortable for me, although I have never back carried, we have a Bjorn. That said, I am in a small city and not a huge metropolis like NYC, so using a stroller and/or hand carrying for long periods of time is probably an impossibility. Glad to hear the Ergo works for so many mommas!

PS - Glad you had fun in SF! I live in Sacramento but was on the coast about 100 miles north of SF and the weather was crazy nice over the weekend.

We have an Ergo and I love the hell out of it, as does the wee baby man. I very much like mine - which is this one (and seems to be discontinued!): http://www.diapers.com/products/Organic-Ergo-Baby-Carrier-Blue-Embroidery-with-Starburst-Lining-20914 but those new fabrics are truly even lovelier!

I definitely recommend Ergos to all of my pregnant friends for when baby comes!

anonymous, they can carry quite a load -- up to 90 pounds, believe it or not! so i guess you can wear it as long as it feels comfortable to you. toby is now 12 months old and weighs 25 pounds and it's still really comfy for us. i plan to wear it for the whole next year, fingers crossed! ps. congratulations!!!

Yep. I'm on the ergo bandwagon. WE had a basic black one that my son loved (daughter DID NOT!!). My kids are two and one and they now ride around in a tandem stroller. My daughter (two) sits in the front, and she gets payback for all the mean things she does to her little brother because he'll ocassionally get a little glint in his eye, lunge forwards, and pull her hair. I feel bad, but it's also pretty hilarious.

Why do all the baby things I had just get cuter after I don't need them anymore? I loved my Ergo. My kiddo (2.5) has been out of it for ages and ages but when I was in New York last week I saw a woman carrying her toddler in one. My back hurt just looking at her and I felt very lucky to not live in a city where I would have to worry every second about my son running into traffic. :-)

When I bought my baby carrier about a year ago, I plumped for Baby Bjorn as that was the brand I trusted the most, and it was OK, but I always felt as if I was squashing my baby and it really made my back ache. I only used it for a few months and since then it has been resigned to a dusty cupboard, which is a shame as it wasn't particularly cheap.

If I have another baby in the future, I will definitely buy an Ergo, since my baby was born, I have heard so much good press about them!

highpriestess, i totally agree! the bjorn KILLED my back. it always made me cranky because it hurt to wear. but the ergo is really comfy. the weight is distributed on both your shoulders and your hips, and the straps are really padded. i bet you'll like it much more! :)

I love my Ergo. It's the best baby carrier. My husband uses the baby bjorn and I can't stand that one (too much pressure on my shoulders). I'm so excited that they come in lovely fabrics. We have basic black, but I'm thinking next time we should get a fun one!

I love my New Native pocket sling and my Didymos woven wrap. We have an Ergo, but after learning how to use the woven wrap, my husband and I both find it much more comfortable; it really molds to your body and feels secure (and is way easier to use than it looks). Also, in warm weather the Ergo was just way too hot, whereas the woven wrap doesn't have all that padding that makes you and baby sweat!

The pocket sling is terrific because there's no adjustments; just pop baby in and go! We find baby wearing so comfortable and our baby is so calm and happy in her slings that we don't ever feel like we need to have a stroller.

I loved my ergo, but I love my Beco Butterfly 2 even more. It is super cute, a little less bulky than an ergo, and worlds easier for the back carry. Whichever one you like, baby carriers make life soooo much easier:)

I am due with our 3rd child in about a month, and I am so excited to be able to do babywearing with him. My first 2 were twins, so babywearing was/ is quite tricky! When they were newborns I had a MaxiMom carrier for multiples, basically like a bjorn where you wear BOTH of them in the front. It was awkward, heavy, and not super comfortable. So I just used a double stroller with them most of the time. Now I have a Beco carrier that I love and use sometimes at the grocery store, so one can ride on my back while the other is in the cart. The logistics of having twins is much more complicated than you ever think of! Anyway, they are 2 now and I am really looking forward to wearing the new baby while the boys walk nicely with me (ha!) or ride in their wagon. Wish me luck!!

I have been using the Baby Bjorn active version since Mia was born and have found it great up until now. She's going to be 1 in three weeks and it's just starting to strain my shoulders and upper back, and as I really want to keep wearing her for another year or so, I'm going to get an Ergo - I've heard great things about them from so many people and now your recommendation has sealed the deal! Thanks for this post Joanna!

I love reading review like this. Im 5 months pregnant with my second. Our first loved his carrier (which was borrowed from a friend), however it was a tomy (or something) and by about 7 months, was too uncomfortable to use. I always spotted mothers carrying their babies in ergos and think they look so great. The only issue I was wondering was - can you carry your baby on your front looking outwards? I know our first loved this position, and what age can you start carrying them on your back?

Sorry for the questions and thanks for the post.Welcome back from holiday!

I don't have a baby (I'm only a teenager!) but when I'm babysitting I love when parents lend me their Ergo baby carrier! They really are incredibly comfortable, I can even carry a two year old who has almost outgrown it for hours. And like the name says, it's ergonomically correct, so there's no worrying about the baby's comfort. I'm definitely going to buy one of these when I have kids some day!

i am still in love with my sleepy wrap, my son is pushing 3 and I still use it on family hikes and when he is sleeping and we are out(or when he's suck). Bear's 36lbs and i'm still very comfortable with him in there, i don't use it as much as i did when he was tiny, he is super independent and rarely wants to be carried with all the exploring to be done, but at 3 i'm still getting use out of it!!

I wish I'd read more about carriers before asking my friends to get me a baby bjorn. I used it lots, because I loved carrying Liam close to me, but it would always have to be for a short while as it would KILL my back! Liam also outgrew the carrier at 7 months old so I really regret not getting an Ergo. I've been considering getting one now but wondering whether it's not too late (he is 15 months). I've seen on their website that Ergo say you can use it up to 17kg but it that really true? Do you still manage to carry Toby comfortably? I'm interested to know as I'm hesitating between buying an Ergo or one of these proper hickers carrier for this summer.xx

Appreciate the insight on carriers - hopefully you'll do a diaper bag post too! As a future Mama To Be (this July - eek!) I can't thank you enough for your Motherhood Mondays posts - so helpful! Thank you!

I have the Bjorn and the Ergo, I found them both hugely useful and would not live without them for their own different reasons, I have written a review to help you see what you think will work for you @ .. www.mybabycarrier.org

I've a slumber cover which i love! My spouse and i don my personal tiny man on the plane whenever we travel plus it releases my personal hands to try out using your pet whilst nonetheless retaining him or her secure (he has been additionally more prone to sleep when he is so all-around us). Folks come up to me in the international airport constantly and also reply to this. He is practically progressing to heavy because of it however and so i may have to look into the Ergo!